Lawrence says Latham just needed more time

Page Tools

Mark Latham was not given enough time to be viewed by voters as a potential prime minister, says ALP president Carmen Lawrence.

"That was one of our problems but it would have been true no matter who took over," Dr Lawrence said. "There wasn't time enough to craft out a new strategy."

She said she had not heard any suggestion that Mr Latham's leadership was under threat and that he should stay on as leader.

"Mark did a sterling job during the campaign. I'm sure people will give him credit for that."

Dr Lawrence said she had no doubt that Labor would come back from the loss.

"I don't see this as anything more than a defeat. There's nothing terminal, it's not a profound decay we're seeing here, not a catastrophe. We're going to have to work hard to rebuild over the next three years, but it's been done before."

Dr Lawrence said it appeared Labor needed to get its policies out much earlier to give the public time to absorb them.

The party had to both attack the Government and to have a positive agenda.

Dr Lawrence said many people spoiled their votes - "a pox on both your houses' point of view".

"'That's a cynical, dispossessed group out there that we should be able to recruit.

"We should be able to recruit former Democrats and people from the Liberal side on issues of decency," she said.

Some Liberals had already changed their vote on the war in Iraq and asylum seekers.